Directionally adjustable radio receiver antenna



June 3, 1958 H. J. HEINDEL ET AL 2,337,741

DIRECTIONALLY ADJUSTABLE RADIO RECEIVER ANTENNA Fil ed June 11, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS H/lkOLD J fif/NDEZ A R/V57 GEOJCHOFF EM/L Jaw vJ1me 1958 H. J; HEINDEL EIAL 2,837,741

DIRECTIONALLY ADJUSTABLE RADIO RECEIVER ANTENNA Filed June 11, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS 1 /4/9010 J hf/A Dfl E/QMFT kwtwafi BY EMIL Jaw United States. Patent ice 'DIRECTION ALLY ADJUSTABLE RADIO RECEIVER ANTENNA Harold J. Heindel, Munsey Park, Ernst Groschoif, Glen Head, and Emil Joss, Huntington, .N. Y., assignors to Andrea Radio Corporation, Long Island City, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 11, 1956, Serial No. 590,624

3 Claims. .(Cl. 343-702 The present invention relates to directionally adjustable antennas for radio receivers and more particularly to such antennas incorporated as a part of a radio receiver cover.

The present invention represents an improvement over known adjustable antennas for radio receivers in that it provides an antenna adjustably mounted in a receiver cover in a novel manner which is more compact and better adapted to preferred shapes of receivers, and which may include an azimuthal scale to aid in the ad- 'jnstment of the antenna. In addition, the antenna carrying cover is so designed to provide a place for an azimuthal scale and at the same time the cover does not interfere with the radio handle in either the closed or open position.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a radio receiver incorporating a directionally adjustable antenna in the cover thereof.

It is another object of the invention to provide a cover incorporating a directional antenna which is adapted to be used on presently preferred shapes of portable radio receivers.

It is still another object of the invention to provide such a radio receiver with cover hinges adapted to form a part of the conductive connections between the antenna and the receiver.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a combination cover and directionally adjustable antenna wherein the antenna with its housing also serves as a part of the cover for the receiver.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a radio receiver with a directionally adjustable antenna and an azimuthal scale for determining the angle at which the antenna is turned.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an antenna incorporating receiver cover which does not interfere with the handle on the top of a radio receiver in either the open or the closed position of the cover.

Other objects will become apparent from consideration of the following description and of the appended drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a radio receiver with directionally adjustable antenna incorporated in the cover, partially cut away to show the antenna;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the receiver cover showing the adjustable antenna turned at an angle;

Fig. 3 is aside elevational view of the device shown in Fig. 1 cut away to show the electrical connection to the antenna and in which the receiver is shown with the cover in the open position;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the. device shown in Fig. l with the cover in the closed position;

Fig. 5 is a partial top plan view of the device shown in Fig. l with the cover open showing the scale on the cover;

Fig. 6 is a partial top plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1 with the cover in the closed position.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown at 11 a radio Patented June '3, 1958 receiver cabinet with a cover 12 of L-shaped cross section as shown in Fig. 3. The cover 12 has attached thereto two L-shaped hinged brackets 13 which are attached by means of the hinge pins 15 to cabinet hinge brackets 14. The cabinet hinge brackets are attached to the top of the cabinet. An oval antenna mount '16 is placed in a corresponding opening in the cabinet 12 where it is pivotally supported by pivot fixtures 17. Although the antenna mount 16 is shown to be oval in shape, it may equally well be made of rectangular or of any other shape. A loop antenna 18 is secured in a recessed position in the antenna mount 16 andthe antenna is covered by the antenna cover 19. The shape of the antenna loop may or maynot conform to the outline of the antenna mount. Spring catches 20 are provided'at the ends of the antenna mount 16 to prevent accidental displacement of the mount from its closed position. One of the spring catches 20 may be omitted or may be replaced with a stop member adapted to prevent rotation of the antenna mount past the stop. Connected to the antenna 18 are two electrical leads 21 which pass from the antenna mount 16 to the cabinet cover 12 at points adjacent to the lower pivot fixture 17 and continue to respective hinge brackets 13 to which they are condnctively attached. The hinge brackets 13, the pins 15, and the cabinet hinge bracket 14 form a part of the electrical circuit from antenna to receiver. The cabinet hinge brackets 14 are conductively attached torespective receiver leads 22 which lead to the antenna terminals of the receiver (not shown).

In Fig. 2 there is shown an azimuthal scale 23 on the short segment 24 of the L-shaped receiver cover 12 adapted to measure the angle of the antenna mount 16. The receiver cover 12 is cut away along the edge of the short segment 24 to provide a recess 25 adapted to accommodate a handle 26 on the top of the receiver cabinet 11.

Normal closed position of the receiver cabinet cover can be seen in Fig. 4 where it is apparent that the antenna mount 16 and cover 19 cooperate with the receiver cover 12 to completely close the front of the receiver cabinet and that in the closed position the handle 26 is accessible for carrying the receiver.

The cover may be readily opened to the position shown in Fig. 3 thereby giving access to the interior of the front of the cabinet where the receiver controls (not shown) are located. The cover 12 remains in the open position without the necessity of holding or latching means and the handle 26 is accessible for carrying the receiver when the cover 12 is in the open position.

The antenna mount 16 is normally retained in its closed position in the opening in the cover 12 by the spring catches 20. As previously explained only one catch may be provided and a stop member to prevent excessive rotation of the mount may be substituted for the other catch 20. However, after the cover is placed in the open position the antenna may be manually pivoted about the pivot fixtures 17 in order to orient the antenna 18 for best radio reception. Slack is provided in the antenna leads 21 and the leads pass through or close to the lower pivot fixture 17 so that the antenna mount 16 may be turned approximately without placing any strain on the antenna leads. The hinge brackets 13 and 14 complete the electrical circuit to the antenna irrespective of the position of the cover. It should be noted also that the antenna is in a vertical plane when the cover is closed and is thereby positioned for good reception even with the cover closed.

With the cover open the scale 23 may be used in setting the antenna 18 to a particular angle previously determined to achieve optimum reception or to determine the angle of best reception for future reference.

From'the foregoing description of the operation of the cover and antenna it may be seen that a cover is provided which is hinged 9n its longest dimension and which resides in a vertical plane in both the closed and .open position, and that the cover is shaped to provide a place for an azimuthal scale which resides in a horizontal plane when the cover is in the open position. The cover is hinged and shaped in such a manner that it does not interfere with a handle centrally located on the top of the cabinet regardless of the position of the cover. The device shown also provides means for rotating the antenna through at least 180 in order to intercept the maximum radiated energy.

Those skilled in the art will readily see that many modifications of the described embodiment of the in- .vention may be made within the scope of the present in- ,vention and accordingly the above description is not to be construed in a limiting sense but rather the scope of the invention is to be limited solely by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A radio receiver case comprising a cabinet, a cabinet Cit cover of Lshaped cross-section, means for hingedly atvtaching the portion of said cover near the end of the shortleg of said L to a point on the top of said cabinet approximately midway between the front and rear thereof, an antenna pivotally afiixed in an aperture in said vcover, the axis of said antenna being perpendicular to the axis of said hinge means, and an azimuthal scale placed upon the short leg of said L-shaped cover and centered-at the. axis of said antenna. 2. A radio receiver case comprising a cabinet, a cabinet 4 cover of L-shaped cross-section having an opening therein, a hinge attaching the portion of said cover near the end of the short leg of 'said L to a point on the top of said cabinet approximately midway between the front and rear thereof, a loop antenna pivotally afiixed in the opening in said cover for movement about an axis perpendicular to the axis of said hinge, an azimuthal scale placed upon the short leg of said L-shaped cover and centered at the axis of said antenna, and means forming a conductive path from said antenna through the pivot point of said antenna to said cabinet cover and thence through said hinge to said cabinet.

3. A radio receiver case comprising a cabinet, a cabinet cover, hinge means with horizontal axis pivotally attaching .said cover to said cabinet for movement through approximately 180 degrees, an antenna pivotally attached to said cover about an axis perpendicular to said hinge axis and thereby adapted to be adjusted for optimum radio reception, conductive means connected to said antenna and adapted to be connected to said receiving apparatus, said cabinet cover being of L-shaped crosssection, and an angular scale on the leg of said L at right angles to said antenna axis for determining the angle at which the antenna is turned.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Van Dyck June 10, 1930 1,804,000 Derry May 5, 1931 2,381,334 Brownshield Aug. 7, 1945 2,447,576 Gustafson Aug. 4, 1948 

